The Independent View: NY Voting Reforms May Be Overshadowed by Budget

In January, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed Reforms aimed at increasing low turnout in New York Elections.

On Tuesday, Cuomo said that the measures may have to wait until after this year's Budget is passed, even though they were included in his proposed Budget measure.

"We're going to try like heck," Cuomo told reporters. "It's not necessarily a budget discussion. The budget is primarily about finances. And if it's a policy matter that's related to finances, I try to include it because the budget is a good vehicle to reconcile as much as you can."

Cuomo added, "Many of the democracy issues that you talk about, we're going to take up after the budget."

Cuomo has proposed allowing Early Voting before Election Day and for people to be able to Register to Vote on Election Day, and a process that would Automatically Register people to Vote.

Senate Republicans, in particular, may be a Roadblock.

Cuomo has often included Ethics Reforms measures in the Budget, with mixed success. Placing measures in the annual Spending Bill, which faces an April 1st deadline, puts extra pressure on Lawmakers to pass measures favored by the Governor.

Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York, said that Cuomo needed to push harder, noting that New York ranks 41st in the Country in Voter Turnout.

"It's not enough to 'try like heck,'" Lerner said in a statement. "New Yorkers deserve the same rights as voters in Alaska and Vermont. We need voting reform now, and that means including funding in the 2017 budget to ensure that the next election cycle is an example for the nation, not a national embarrassment."